# Is therapy a scam? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 10, 2012, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-therapy-a-scam/643603 "2012-12-10T15:29:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sweeteviljesus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@sweeteviljesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweeteviljesus)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-therapy-a-scam/643603/1 "2012-12-10T15:29:06Z")
This may belong in GD, but I am curious if there is any evidence that talk therapy (not sure if I have the term correct) does any good? It seems like a lot of money is spent, but I don’t know anyone who says, “thanks to my therapist, I don’t have to go to therapy anymore.” Thanks, Rob ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-therapy-a-scam/643603/2 "2012-12-10T15:32:45Z")
Some is, so isn’t. What kind of therapy is it? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-therapy-a-scam/643603/3 "2012-12-10T15:53:59Z")
Talk therapy may or may not be effective, but by using the term “scam” I think you already consign the question to Great Debates. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-therapy-a-scam/643603/4 "2012-12-10T16:13:16Z")
It’s not like we can test for anger issues or distant father syndrome. You go to therapy because something is inhibiting your ability to function in daily life and the therapist, if they’re good, helps you come up with a strategy for dealing with the problem. Perhaps after a couple of months you feel adequately prepared and so you stop and from there, one of three things happens, you succeed and live a happy life, you fail and become miserable or you fail and return to therapy to adjust, improve, or replace your tools as needed. There isn’t some sort of obvious endpoint you can reach that says, OCD cleared up, congratulations. There’s just, “yeah, I can work with this,” or “No, this doesn’t help.” ---
**Author:** ![sweeteviljesus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@sweeteviljesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweeteviljesus)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-therapy-a-scam/643603/5 "2012-12-10T16:18:10Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Talk therapy may or may not be effective, but by using the term “scam” I think you already consign the question to Great Debates. > > Colibri > General Questions Moderator I supposed I poisoned the well there. I am not married to the thread title, though. If y’all prefer, how about “Does therapy work?”. BTW, I am not talking about Dr. Phil or self help books or those seminars where they encourage you to “just drop your problems”, etc. Thanks, Rob ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-therapy-a-scam/643603/6 "2012-12-10T16:24:00Z")
Our society has built up an exaggerated view of what psychotherapy can accomplish. In reality it is simply talk. A good therapist is simply a skilled talker. In other words, he (or she) is somebody who’s good at drawing out relevant information from the patient and leading the patient to important self discoveries. Such things can be useful; extremely useful, in some cases. However, we should not expect psychotherapists to have some sort of magical ability to solve problems that’s in an entirely different class from the abilities of regular people. ---
**Author:** ![Gedd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gedd/32/4938_2.png) [@Gedd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gedd)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-therapy-a-scam/643603/7 "2012-12-10T16:27:28Z")
Depends on the therapy you’re talking about. Physical therapy to help somone who busted their knee run a marathon? No. Psychotherapy/counciling to help someone quit smoking or to help a married couple? Probably not. Crystal therapy to improve your chi? Yes. ---
**Author:** ![sweeteviljesus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@sweeteviljesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweeteviljesus)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-therapy-a-scam/643603/8 "2012-12-10T16:29:37Z")
I am referring to therapy in the second category. ---
**Author:** ![sweeteviljesus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@sweeteviljesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweeteviljesus)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-therapy-a-scam/643603/9 "2012-12-10T16:31:00Z")
Is it effective either as a primary or complementary treatment for things like OCD or depression? Rob ---
**Author:** ![Nature\_s\_Call](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nature_s_call/32/19006_2.png) [@Nature\_s\_Call](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nature_s_Call)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-therapy-a-scam/643603/10 "2012-12-10T16:41:24Z")
I too was highly skeptical about the worth of therapy - my doubt fuelled by the cliché of the Hollywood starlet undergoing therapy for years and years (read: dollars and dollars) and never seeming to be “cured.” However, a few years ago I was in a circumstance where I sought help. I met with a psychologist who diagnosed me as suffering severe depression. He “prescribed” cognitive behavioural therapy. The sessions were not airy “tell me about your mother.” They were practical, engaged discussions of the circumstances contributing to my depression - basically helping to put things into perspective. What surprised me the most was after only a handful of sessions he jokingly said, “Okay, you’re cured. Today’s our last session. Call me if you ever need help again.” And I never have. I really was “cured.” There are, of course, so many variables: the skill/qualifications of the therapist, the severity of patient’s suffering, her willingness to participate, underlying medical conditions, etc. But from my single-datapoint experience: it was positive, efficient, and cost-effective. ---
**Author:** ![sweeteviljesus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@sweeteviljesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweeteviljesus)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-therapy-a-scam/643603/11 "2012-12-10T17:04:51Z")
Does it work if there is an underlying physiological problem? ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-therapy-a-scam/643603/12 "2012-12-10T17:10:06Z")
> [@sweeteviljesus](#): > > Does it work if there is an underlying physiological problem? It certainly could lead to the therapist suggesting a course of action that deals with that. I’ve known people stuck in therapy for years and people who went for a month or two, got what they needed out of it, and that was that. ---
**Author:** ![Troppus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a587f6/32.png) [@Troppus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troppus)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-therapy-a-scam/643603/13 "2012-12-10T17:31:27Z")
I’ve met a few people suffering from personality disorders (rather, the people around them suffer. The patients do as they please.) who pay for undivided attention and receive no apparent results. Two are narcissists who enjoy the attention, which makes the therapist an enabler as well as one who profits unethically from indulging but not treating the patient. A few people here credit CBT with improving their lives, so maybe it depends on the patient and the therapist. ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-therapy-a-scam/643603/14 "2012-12-10T17:47:18Z")
I went through a period many years ago where I had some personal issues that resulted in me being diagnosed with depression. I saw a therapist once a week for about 18 months and reached a point where I felt I didn’t need to keep seeing the therapist. That has been close to 20 years and I feel it definitely helped me learn how to deal with things in a much more constructive way. As a result I have not needed to take medication or go back into therapy since then. So I would say in my case the answer is no, I don’t consider it a scam. ---
**Author:** ![Modern\_Master](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f475e1/32.png) [@Modern\_Master](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Modern_Master)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-therapy-a-scam/643603/15 "2012-12-10T17:52:07Z")
I think it depends why you’re in therapy. Also, it only works if you’re honest with your therapist. There are some really bad therapists, and there are some really good therapists. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-therapy-a-scam/643603/16 "2012-12-10T17:56:02Z")
Thanks to therapy, I don’t have to go to therapy anymore. I went through a very dark time from 1995-1998ish with PTSD. Although it never goes away, I am certainly not suffering with it and am a successful professional and mom. So for me, it worked. I saw a psychologist and doctor for the meds. Am off everything now, BTW. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-therapy-a-scam/643603/17 "2012-12-10T17:59:43Z")
As a depressed and highly negative person who has had very checkered experiences with therapy, I have taken to surfing a lot of self-help blogs. This may not be the way to a real perspective on the state of therapy today, but it has more or less convinced me that anyone who reaches out online is trying to sell you a) a book or b) religion. ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-therapy-a-scam/643603/18 "2012-12-10T18:11:24Z")
> [@Modern\_Master](#): > > I think it depends why you’re in therapy. Also, it only works if you’re honest with your therapist. I would strongly agree with both of these statements, particularly the second one. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-therapy-a-scam/643603/19 "2012-12-10T18:17:49Z")
Therapy has helped me in many ways. Most obviously to anyone who knows me in the 3D world, it cured me of my dog phobia, which used to be crippling. Less obviously but more significantly, it was instrumental in helping me learn to control my temper and my tendencies toward verbal, emotional, and sometimes physical violence. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-therapy-a-scam/643603/20 "2012-12-10T19:10:08Z")
When thinking of therapy that seems to be a lifelong committment for some people, I think it’s important to think in terms of “coaching”. Think of going to a gym and attending a step class or a spinning class or yoga. Would have any problem going every week for the rest of your life? Why? After some point aren’t you “fit”? Then why would you keep going? For some people, they see a lifelong committment to therapy as “coaching”. It keeps them in shape, mentally speaking. And if they can afford it, who am I to judge? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-therapy-a-scam/643603.md?page=2)